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Film, History and Context
Film, History and Context
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By choosing to watch and analyze a historical film from a time period, it is important to think about the historical event or time period that is being represented in the film and relates them with events that happen in the movie, ideas that are expressed, or traits of characters in the movie. It may be significant also to consider the historical context in which the movie takes place as well as taking into consideration what is going on in the outside world that affects the events in the movie and the emotions and actions of the characters. This form of writing argues whether historical film is more informed by the time and context within which it has been made than the historical time and context it portrays by considering two movies; Bataan 1943 and Saving Private Ryan 1998 films.
It is worth noting that several historical films carry a common ‘theme of history’ such as history as a ‘flow’ of events, or a series of cause and effect relationships over time. Some of the theme of history is very vital being that they take into account the history affecting and shaping our society today as well as people making a difference in the society. By looking at historical context it is vital to consider the period and place where the movie takes place as well as significance about the event or time period. Furthermore it is advisable to consider what happens in the world beyond the film since relating the historical context greatly help in understanding all the important events taking place in the movie (Monaco & Harpole 2003, p. 39-54).
Bataan Movie
Bataan is a 1943 war film directed by Tay Garnet about the defense of the Bataan Peninsula at the start of World War II where Dane and a group of American and Philippine soldiers are caught up in the retreat from Manila toward Bataan. This movie involves the Japanese conquest of the Philippines in early 1942 where the U.S. forces conduct a fighting retreat after the army, civilians and a group of volunteers from different units blow up the bridge in order to delay Japanese rebuilding efforts as long as possible. After blowing the bridge, they wait for the expected enemy push to rebuild the bridge and dislocate the Americans but basic needs such as food, diseases and deficiencies of medicine greatly affect the soldiers’ even as they try to cope with the opposition. The soldiers were forced to move through the congested town as that was the only way they could escape from the Japanese soldiers who were really pressing forward as Dane and Jake Feingold tried to manage a defensive position (Bataan 1943, Film).
After the commander orders soldiers to report to Captain Lassister, the town then suffered fierce attack from the air where civilians and soldiers were wedged in the open and executed. Soldiers were then ordered to hold a bridge until all refugees cross and later demolish the bridge as a way of stopping the Japanese soldiers and gathering their own in Bataan. The group of 13 men who were also equipped with enough equipment and supplies decided to position themselves on a cliff where they blew the bridge as they wait for Japanese but diseases and inadequate food and water would later demoralize them (Bataan 1943, Film).
Japanese army managed to work at night on the bridge while the Americans were just reluctantly waiting; talking talk and eating but their peace is interrupted when a sniper catches Captain Lassiter in the open and shoots him dead. When Dane orders Barry Nelson to ascent a tree and echo on opponent undertaking, he sloppily displays himself thus making him to be shot dead by a sniper. The following day Dane and Todd go out alone launching grenades at the bridge to blow it up again but Dane is worried whether they will break from the tension and leave after most of their men die. However, Feingold serenely guarantees him they will definitely finish their obligation even as Philippine guide tries to break through the Japanese ranks to Bataan for help is seized, tortured and wounded before the Americans. Bentley was really wounded when he was trying to repair his plane which he wanted to fly out under cover of darkness. Bentley and Dane load 2 boxes of dynamite on the plane and flies into the bridge to demolish it in an incredible detonation (Bataan 1943, Film).
Bataan Death march’s Historical Background
This battle marks the day when Japan invaded Philippines and bombed the U.S naval base at Pearl Harbor and within a month the Japanese successfully captured Manila which is the Philippines. The U.S and Philippine defenders later compulsorily retreated at Bataan Peninsula for almost three months though they tried fighting back with their less effective naval and air support accompanied with starvation and disease which prompted the U.S general to surrender his troops at Bataan. The Japanese later captured the left Philippine and U.S soldiers and marched them to San Fernando where most of the troops died due to brutality and starvation and others were taken to prisoner-of-war camps. America later avenged the defeat and recaptured the Bataan thus liberating Manila and finally the commander of the Japanese was tried and executed by firing squad on April 3, 1946.
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Saving Private Ryan is a powerful 1998 American epic warfare movie that truthfully re-creates WWII’s D-day assault and the instantaneous repercussion directed by Steven Spielberg. It begins Omaha Beach where the U.S militaries invade Normandy in France and also attempt to secure and save a single warrior. Captain Miller struggles to look for a specific soldier who is called Ryan after all his Ryan’s three brothers had been killed in the battle. It is interesting that Captain Miller and his soldiers are not sure whether Ryan is alive or dead but insist in finding him and sending him home since he is the only one remaining amongst his brothers. The area in which Ryan is suspected to be is a very dangerous place where even some of the soldiers who went to search for him are killed one by one. The fierce struggle of the U.S soldiers to take Omaha beach from the Germans is shown in revulsions of battle and chaos. This battle and search of a soldier shows what actually happened during the World War II such as loss of family members amongst the soldiers and the civilians. After death of one of the soldiers in the rescue mission, there was public outcry on the need of risking many lives in the name of saving a single life of a soldier (Saving Private Ryan 1998, Film).
Saving private Ryan is a strong case for agreeing with the fact that historical film is more informed by the time and context within which it is made than by the historical time and context it portrays. The drive of the film is not similar in 1998 as it was in 1944 as much as the story setup is intact since its usage and purpose defers due to difference in periods. The movie experiences evolution because of the period in which it was released because initially, the determination was nationalistic and descriptive, to assist audience getting behind the war by setting aside their misgivings and qualms. At the end of the war, there were no combat movies that were shown perhaps because of the bad memories they inflicted on people but towards the end of 1949, combat movies resurfaced (Schatz 1997, 56-69).
The reemergence of the films were supposed to attempt to put the war in an “after the fact” viewpoint thus making it cease to be patriotic and but one of earned national pride as well as making the audience to have a deeper level of understanding. Although most of the combat movies were shot on actual location where the events took place by even including some veterans, the purpose of these kinds of films was purportedly to document or redesign the definite event for the viewers could watch. Although, the real incident took place in a different place compared with the scenes watched on the movie the message of the film is very clear due to its rich content (Neve 1992, 68-80).
Saving Private Ryan tend to transform the war into legend by attempting to reach accuracy resulting into a secondary trend that began due to heroic re-creations. This movie successfully articulates the U.S annoyance concerning WW II thereby displaying disowning course in the present era of the advancement. It shows how families lost their beloved ones in the war by bringing the Ryan story and how soldiers sacrificed to save life of their own. This movie demonstrates how a fixed genre can be effectively applied after sometime to depict what the culture needs it to be in the current set up but still passing the same message it would have communicated in the past (Saving Private Ryan 1998, Film).
Saving Private Ryan reactivates the WWII issue thus reminding the viewer of the battle and helps Americans to remember that World War II did not actually vanish from American lives even after it took place long time ago. The idea of the war has ever since remained within us in history and is always being reflected in several publications and movie revivals as well as making people to want to reevaluate the century. It is not easy to really know what the combat movies add up to but they deliver a new episode for the evolutionary process such as the Saving Private Ryan which may be the formative film that qualifies to be the first key movie in the current era (Saving Private Ryan 1998, Film).
Currently we live in an epoch of pacifying movie fierceness and whatever takes place in the Saving Private Ryan is to take the massacre out of space and back down to the human level and perhaps the director of the movie is asking the audience to think about the future and the future of America. Spielberg has accomplished using familiar genre elements to achieve the message he wanted to communicate by including all the issues that occurred in the war in a dazzling way that prompt Americans to take the war seriously once more (Sklar 1975, p. 22-32).
The movie shows various characters with a number of morals that were common during the time that the film was made and one of these ideals that were held by many was the anti-war opinions by the public. As much as the film demonstrates how heroic and enthusiastic these men were in carrying out their duty particularly the rescue mission to save one man. All these soldiers had a mission to accomplish what they wanted to and there are part of the ideals of American pride and willpower. This movie intensely displays that despite all the opposition that Americans faced during the war, they ultimately prevailed and accomplished their mission without giving up (Saving Private Ryan 1998, Film).
Saving Private Ryan is one of the most exact representations of the incursion of Normandy that has ever been made and the director did an implausible job by only showing the horrifying invasion which certainly showed the sacrifice that was made by Americans. The film further shows the effects of the war on the men that fought it acts as a primary source of World War II such as the accuracy of the D-Day invasion and the costumes and scenes depicting a war ravaged France. Saving Private Ryan further accurately depicts the sentiments of the time it was filmed thus obviously showing the commonly held thoughts of the late nineties that war is not appropriate and that Americans are always ready to sacrifice everything to protect and preserve their country ( Andersen & Gray 2008, p. 118-130).
Saving Private Ryan shows very dreadful mayhem of one of the most famous battles of World War II as a way of harnessing the wound of war upon present-day audiences by providing the D-Day invasion with a chaotic scene which is an aimless slaughter until the attacking force breaks the Nazi forces. Incursion act delivers the historical specificity that appeal to a putative practicality. Killings and the cases of mass and individual miseries relentlessly ties the experiences depicted to the present but dependably stressing the inhumaneness of the D-Day landing scene reveals the more significant corporeal project and cultural significance of the film. This film still reactivates the trauma of war this justifies its body revulsion and as an act of memorialization by endeavoring to affect a sense of the experience upon the body of the viewer. Saving Private Ryan helps in depicting war as the distressing wound of antiquity by effectively locating war in suffering, and reigniting a sense of the pain and death of war by using memorialization primarily through affect, by making an upsetting form of combination with the physical involvement of the disgusts of war.
The Bataan war film benefited from the timing of its release which steered its approval and led to its instantaneous relevancy as well as making it more accurate and in tune with the shifting events. Combat films may repeatedly fade amongst the audience since they are likely to pull off simply due to the fact that they have been repeatedly done and are therefore common amongst audience but Bataan film is a bit difference and is protected by its outstanding realism and sincerity. It exposes much of what happened in the Bataan battle by showing some of the fresh battle grounds and commonplaces where the battle took place. The fact that the movie is likeable is not because it was done straightaway after the fighting but due to its context and the message it portrays (Koszarski 1990, p.45-53)
The Bataan battle is really appealing since it can be watched with history in mind just like any other combat movie that depicts historical background and because it tackles a minor recognized part of World War II history. The historical combat films such as Bataan shows realistically without much guess work what genuinely occurred in the war such as the guerilla movements in the Philippines. Bataan film is fervent about the people and figures it portrays and just like any other wartime film, it has a bit of propaganda which however, do not deter it from being more pitiful and cherished in its methodology. This movie is very fresh especially while relating it to the battle since it sincerely shows that people actually underwent all the struggles and other sorts of things that took place in the war making it known to the audience that everything is done with a real and raw memory (Balio 1993, p. 24-32)
The audience of this movie would feel like the movie is built on genuine stories and people and that the characters are people who were very much aware of what took place in the real sense. However, what is important is not the idea of knowing what actually took place but is based on understanding the war context of the movie. The acting and the whole movie scene should only stress on the message being communicated but not the historical time and context it portrays. Historical films such as Bataan have naturalness essential in all of their acts because of the immediateness of the issue being discussed because the directors tend to fix everything essential to perfect their work (Mccrisken & Pepper 2005, p. 30-35). The film gets along so quickly and realistically with the audience it seems to have been done on any number of forest war involvements which makes it captivating and erratic, like actual history by portraying scenes that are fairly explicit.
Nonetheless it is worth noting that the period and context within which historical movie is made is additionally imperative than the historical period and context it portrays. The viewer mainly centers on the specifics as well as the meaning connected to the movie. By watching a movie such as Bataan, the most important thing is the context in which anybody can throw light into the meaning but not the time it portrays since the historical context will definitely influence the viewer’s interpretation. The events that took place in a particular movie are the most significant thing in understanding a movie and this qualifies Saving Private Ryan (Rollins 1998, p. 52-60). Meaning of a film is lost without contextual understanding since this will give deeper realization and enjoyment of the movie. I tend to think that watching a movie for the first time without any expectation i.e. with a blank slate is more enjoyable than when at times someone watches a movie with a lot of information. Understanding the context of a film makes watching the movie achievable and this may differ in many movies even if the movie was done during the historical times it portrays.
References
Andersen, R, & Gray, J 2008, Battleground The Media, Westport, Conn, Greenwood Press.
Balio, T 1993, Grand Design: Hollywood as A Modern Business Enterprise 1930-1939, New York U.A, Scribner U.A.
Bataan 1943, Motion Pictures, a Time Warner Company, United States.
Harpole, C, & Bowser, E 1990, History Of The American Cinema, 2, 2, New York, Scribner,
Koszarski, R 1990, an Evening’s Entertainment: The Age of the Silent Feature Picture, 1915-1928, Berkeley, University Of California Press.
Mccrisken, T, & Pepper, A 2005, American History and Contemporary Hollywood Film, Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press.Monaco, P, & Harpole, C 2003, the Sixties: 1960 – 1969. Berkeley [U.A.], University Of California Press.
Neve, B 1992, Film and Politics in America: A Social Tradition, London: Routledge.
Rollins, P 1998, Hollywood as Historian: American Film in A Cultural Context, Lexington, University Press Of Kentucky.
Saving Private Ryan 1998, Motion Pictures, Paramount Pictures, United States.Schatz, T 1997, Boom and Bust: American Cinema in the 1940s, Berkeley, Calif, University Of California Press.
Sklar, R 1975, Movie-Made America A Cultural History Of American Movies, New York, Random House.
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Impacts of the Establishment of British Colonial States in Southern Asia
Impacts of the Establishment of British Colonial States in Southern Asia
Introduction
Colonialism is one of the major factor that affected many countries in different continents such as China in Southern Asia during the period of nineteenth century. Known as the control by one nation over a dependent population, colonialism arises when a country conquers another, subjugating and exploiting its population, while forcing its cultural values and own language upon its citizens. While colonialism took place for quite a while, it is important to note that by year 1914, a vast majority of the world’s countries had experienced colonialism in the hands if the Europeans. Although colonial governments invested in trade, infrastructure, and dissemination of technology and medical knowledge, it is imperative to understand that the harms incurred from colonialism outweighed the benefits provided and gained. Accompanying the gains provided, forced assimilation and coercion were some of the major harms associated with colonialism in many nations. In addition, the impacts of colonialisms also included ethical rivalries, spread of disease, environmental degradation, economic instability, and the violation of human rights. As seen in the case of China, the establishment of British colonial states in Southern Asia during the period of the nineteenth century posed significant disruption in the lives in the lives of Chinese people who occupied the region.
The establishment of British Colonial States
Colonialism first occurred in China during the period of 1839 to 1842 after the British Navy attained victory in the first opium wars (Trocki, 2009). In regard to this, the opium war made history marking the first time ever in the world history steam using ships were used in war. During this period, British new colonial states flourished their way into southern China with the aim of crushing any opposition against British interference in the country’s socials, political, and economic affairs (Doran, 2006). In its first acts of war, British occupied the regions of Hong Kong, a meagerly populated and inhabited island located along the coast of Southern Asia. During the period of 1841, just a year until the end of the opium war, China conceded its island to the British rule by signing the Chuenpi Convention, that pave way Nanking treaty in 1842,fomally bringing to an end the first opium war. In so doing, the Chinese Qing dynasty accepted and paved way for a series of humiliating and mortifying treaties in the hand of the British. For instance, by signing the treaties of Nanking, the Chinese Qing dynasty committed to paying unusual high amounts of compensations for years, while at the same time granting sovereign control and oversight over China’s major ports especially those located in the coastal regions. The grant of sovereign control and oversight over a majority of ports in the coastal regions provided the British with the rights for victorious imperialists to engage in trade freely and to even fix tariffs of their own.
Despite the signing of treaties of Nanking which ended the first opium trade, other treaties experienced during the periods of 1858 and 1860 respectively continued to bring about significant disruption to the lives of the Chinese people. These treaties forced China to concede the Kowloon Peninsula which bordered Hong Kong Island, to the British along with other adjacent area islands. In so doing, the Chinese Qing dynasty opened doors and paved way for western powers to engage in trade, while extending their influences into the other regions of China. The British new colonies flourished as a commercial gateway and an East to West commercial and distribution hub for southern China (Warren, 2003). Colonialism within China which only started with a few treaties which time granted the British sovereign control and oversight over China’s major ports during the period of 1840s expanded gradually over time and lasted for more than a century.
Impacts and Disruption of the of the British Colonial States
The establishment of British colonial states in Southern Asia during the period of the nineteenth century, which resulted to various events such as the signing of the treaties, is a clear indication of some of the significant disruptions that occurred in the lives of the Chinese people. For instance, the British intervention into Malaysia in 1874 resulted to various changes such as installation of police posts in interior locations disrupting the normal lives of citizens (Carstens, 2005).The most devastating and disruptive impact of the establishment of the British colonial states had on the Chinese people was on their Qing state which represented the sovereignty of the Chinese people as it is with any form of government. During the establishment of the British colonial states, the Chinese Qing dynasty became financially, administratively, and politically too weak to provide its functions as an efficient and effective government and lead its people towards a positive and better direction. In addition this was also the case in Yap Ah Loy’s losing his power as an administrator after the stationing of the British at Kuala Lumpur (Carstens, 2005). Due to mortifying and humiliating defeats in the hands of the imperialist powers, for instance, the signing of the treaty that gave the British sovereign control and oversight over China’s major, the legitimacy of the Chinese Qing state became serious issues in the eyes of the Chinese Citizens. The acts of their State brought about a questionable legitimacy of it being a capable regime to defend and protect its citizens, national interest and sovereignty. According to Doran (2006), the issues of signing treaties and providing sovereign control to the British ruined the legitimacy and reputation of the Qing dynasty leaving serious political consequences with regard to the Qing dynasty leading China as a united or separated nation. The administrative and military powers of the Qing dynasty were shattered as a result of a domestic rebellion and successive wars with imperialists British colonial states. The imposition of a number of treaties on the Qing dynasty that granted the British sovereign control and oversight over China’s major ports provided safe heavens for foreigners to engage in trade freely and to even fix tariffs on their own while challenging the sovereignty of the Chinese dynasty and its people. As a result, this caused a disruption in the lives of the Chinese people who placed their faith on the Qing dynasty to protect national interest and sovereignty.
Payment of huge indemnity and other monetary compensation to British imperialist forces resulted to severe constraints of resources on the Chinese society, indicating less or no chances of undertaking appropriate development initiatives for its people (Keong, 2006). Most of the finances collected were used to cater for huge indemnity commitments to the imperialist powers. As a result, this weakened the financial status of the Chinese government making it too difficult to sponsor activities and projects in different areas such as education, agricultural research, and infrastructural build up. By the end of the nineteenth century, the Chinese government revenue was too low to b able to afford sponsoring and funding any development project and as a result significantly impacting and disrupting the lives of the Chinese people.
The establishment of British colonial states in Southern Asia during the period of the nineteenth century also posed significant disruption in the lives of the Chinese people due to the impact it had on China’s economy. The colonialism activities and practices engaged by western powers such as British Colonial states is highly blamed for the decision of Chinese Qing dynasty to sign a variety of treaties which deprived China and its people freedom to certain extent. The signed unequal treaties granted the British with sovereign control and oversight over a majority of ports in the coastal regions providing them with the rights to engage in trade freely and to even fix tariffs of their own. As a result, this acts negatively impacted Chinas economic growth which in the long run poses a significant threat affecting the lives of the Chinese people. Signed during the period of 1842 and 1860, with Britain, the main aim of the “unequal treaties” was to make China government a semi-sovereign state in terms of trade being carried out (Keong, 2006). Despite this, the conditions of the signed treaties appeared to highly unfavorable to the Chinese economy in a way that they opted to legalize the distribution and sale of imported opium within the Chinese society in colonial Singapore something that gave freedom and paved way for foreign businesses to start operating in China without paying taxes and adhering to the legal requirement of the host nation (Trocki, 2009). The sales of opium from India, a British colony, generated millions addicts within China’s society resulting to highly negative economic and social impacts which significantly disrupted and affected the lives of numerous Chinese people.
Continuing the sale and facilitation of opium the Chinese society in colonial Singapore was a matter of strategic importance to the British from an economic point of view and this objective was to be achieved at all costs by the British government, even if waging war against the Chinese society was an option (Trocki, 2009). In addition, according to the treaty imposed by the British and signed by the Chinese,, the rate of foreign trading tariffs for any goods imported into China was relatively low providing tremendous advantage to foreign businesses at the expense of the Chinese economy. As a result, this created huge amounts of loses in terms of revenue from the imported goods, money that the Chinese government could have invested in economic development or funding of projects in different areas such as education, agricultural research, and infrastructural build up.
To further complicate the problems encountered, the treaty introduced the most favored nation clause requiring China to obtain consent from all imperialist powers if it needs to recover or regain any sovereign rights it had lost in the treaty. In other words, this made it difficult for the Chinese government to recover full sovereignty rights on the treaties signed which in turn would make it gain control of it devastating national economy. These unequal treaties had now become a threat to the national economy of China as it paved way for foreign businesses to start operating in China freely and immune from the scope of local jurisdictions (Cushman, 1996). It had opened ways for foreign international businesses to exploit the local Chinese markets in various illegal ways. In addition, the signed and imposed treaties were developed in a manner in which almost all the disputes involving foreign businesses and local parties were solved in favor of the former, something that significantly disrupted the lives of Chinese people, especially those engaged in business activities and trading.
The payments made as indemnities for the opium war amounted to huge sums of money which was compulsory for the Chinese government to pay between the periods of 1842 to 1900 (Keong, 2006). This was regarded as negative consequences to the Chinese national economy as a result of the establishment of British colonial states in southern Asia during the nineteenth century. China’s significant amount of losses incurred from the wars together with the compulsory indemnity payments extra economic difficulties for China, an impact which lasted for quite a while. In regard to this, the economic difficulties significantly caused disruption on the lives of the Chinese people who depended on those finances to be used by the Chinese government to invest in economic development or funding of projects in different areas such as education, agricultural research, and infrastructural build up.
Based on the conditions brought about by the signed treaties, the Chinese society was not in a position to make any changes such as increasing the levels of tariffs on any foreign goods in an effort to help rejuvenate its national economy. For instance, Chinese workers symbolized the colonial Singapore (Warren, 2003). As a result, this condition forced China to find loans in order to compensate the high rates of international trading deficits. For instance, during the period of 1890s, the Qing dynasty was forced to borrow credit from foreign creditors in order to compensate the high rates of international trading deficits. In this regard, this condition forced the Chinese government to focus more on paying international deficit using the obtained loans, and as a result leaving economic development projects such as infrastructure building and education unattended. With this in mind, it is therefore clear that the establishment of British colonial states in Southern Asia during the period of the nineteenth century indeed disrupted the Chinese government and the lives of the Chinese people.
References
Carstens, S. A. (2005). Histories, cultures, identities: Studies in Malaysian Chinese worlds. NUS
Press.
Cushman, J. W. (1986). The Khaw Group: Chinese business in early twentieth-century
Penang. Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 17(1), 58-79.
Doran, C. (2006). Bright celestial: Progress in the political thought of Tan Teck
Soon. SOJOURN: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia, 21(1), 46-67
Keong, N. K. J. (2006). Economic Change and the Emergence of the Straits Chinese in
Nineteenth-Century Penang. Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 59-83.
Trocki, C. A. (2019). Opium and empire: Chinese society in colonial Singapore, 1800-1910.
Cornell University Press.
Warren, J. F. (2003). Rickshaw coolie: A people’s history of Singapore, 1880-1940. Nus Press.